Friday, August 24, 2018

And Then God Created the Internet





So, I am an older millennial-35-and the internet has played a big part in my life. 

Dial-up anyone?

My nephews will never know the struggle I faced as a teenager to connect to the internet.

To download one song...only to find it cuts out halfway through or it’s just some guy singing his version of Thriller. 

Waiting for 30 minutes for a photo to load on screen....24 hours for a movie...and only as long as the other person didn’t turn off their computer.

These days, kids don’t have to play video games. They can watch a video of someone playing video games...on YouTube. 

How convenient is that?

I actually went to a virtual high school for my final two years. I was so busy with my own music studies.  My intended part-time job as an after-school music instructor turned into a full-time job so I needed an alternative. 

I attended regular high school for my Fine Arts classes but took all my main courses online. I attended both grad ceremonies and have two diplomas. 


My experience with classroom chat rooms and meeting people online prior to seeing them in person has affected my ability to get into online dating. 

I just can’t do it. 

Not that I have much interest in dating. 

If you are interested in dating me, you can always submit an application, along with your credit score and driver’s abstract to prove you are financially and physically responsible.

I can prove both, therefore I can ask such a thing.

Ha! 

Back in 11th grade, I had a computer in my room so I could do my online classes. ICQ was the instant messenger that we would use to communicate with our teachers.

ICQ also had a random search feature to connect you with other users. 

One night, I was bored and so I clicked on the random search. My memory sees the Wheel of Fortune spinning round and round and then landing on a face. 

The search results were more like pages of a book you could flip through. I settled for a cute red-headed male who was 18 and from New York. I sent him a message and we started chatting. 

19 years later, we are still chatting. We have never met in person.  I told him that he would be making an appearance in today’s post. 

If you currently follow me on my personal Facebook page, you will know who I’m talking about. He usually has something to say.

                                                         A clip from my YouTube channel

Up until now, my social network has been very small, consisting of people I actually know-aside from “ICQ search result friend”.

I have been studying certain women and men who aren’t celebrities but are successful in their chosen field to see how they utilize social media.

We have these amazing devices that connect us with ideas and people that we would not normally come across. 

Yet, we spend so much time watching cat videos and ridiculing politicians with memes and commenting on posts about what annoys us without actually doing anything about it. 

What captures my attention online is the same thing that captures my attention in person- someone sharing their personal insight. 

It may not be on a topic that I know much about or even have an interest in, but if they share what they have learned to be true and effective for them...I’m all over it. 

Example—Dolly Parton. 

I don’t listen to her music, I cannot tell you the name of any album she has released but she has created a life and a body of work (and a body) that is perfect for her and I watch every interview and read her books and will listen to her wisdom whenever she speaks. 

You and I may not have much in common, maybe we do.  But if we were to sit down and discuss what we have come to learn in our lives so far, I would enjoy that conversation immensely.

Since I have started blogging, I have met a lot of childfree by choice people. The most common comment is 

“ I wish someone had told me that being childfree was an option, instead of me having to find out from Facebook.”

This is where I see the value of using social media. Sometimes it seems like just another popularity contest but really, social media is a way to connect with people on a deeper level. 

From the comfort and privacy of my house or in this case my vacation spot, I am sharing my personal insights in a way that is satisfying to me.

On the other end, is you, reading this hopefully in the privacy and comfort of your favorite place. 

If you are at work and get into trouble, tell your boss about this blog. 

And if you can’t get enough of dog and cat videos, here is a photo I took of my friend’s puppy. 

                                                               My dog nephew-Hux

Have a pleasant weekend.


Sincerely,

LeNora Faye
Bitchy Bookkeeper 
Almost an Author
Former Fantastic Violinist 


No comments:

Post a Comment